Improvement in vehicle-brakes



o. J; WALSBR. Vehicle-Brake.

' No. 212,579. Patented Feb. 25, 1879.

WITNESSES- "NVENTOR to operate the brake.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIGE,

CHARLES J. VALSER, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT lN VEHICLE-BRAKES.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Pat-ent No. 212,579, dated February 25, 1879; application filed December 23, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES J. WALSER, of Lancaster, in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Automatic Brakes on Vehicles, of which the following is a specieation:

This invention is an improvement on my Patent No. 207,143, August 20, 1878.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle and runninggear embodying my invention 5 Fig. 2, a vertical cross-section through the vehicle; Fig. 3, a front elevation of single-horse vehicle with my improvements, and Fig. 4 a det-ail view of the casing on the end ofthe tongue.

Y designates the reach of the wagon, to which a case, ar, containing a pulley, is attached, the bearings for said pulley being c entrally below said reach and inside the aXle of the rear wheels, W.

Under the bottom A of the vehicle, and on each side, are keepers V, through which the brake-bar U passes, and by which it is supported. Said brakebar is provided with brakebloeks K, arranged on its ends, to operate against the rear wheels. This continuous rod or brake-barUis bent under the reach Y. On one end` there is affixed to said brake-bar a leverarm, P, extending back so as to strike the rear axle, and form a stop and support at the desired point. This lever I is continued beyond its attachment, so as to form an arm for a cylindrical weight, O', of any desired size, said weight being adjustable by a setscrew.

To operate this brake-bar automatically, a continuous two branched strap or chain is used. The forward portion passes under a shield on one side, to or around a pulley in the end of casin g F of tongue Q, and back. At c it branches, and the branches L are carried up to the respective pins on the foot-lever B,

The said strap is attached by rivets to a plate connected to alug, h, projecting through a slot in the under side of the shield or casing F aforesaid.

In the pulling back of the yoke G or collarring I, its action against the lug h necessarily draws one branch of said strap forward, while the other is made to recede. The action of said strap on the pulleys before described will then cause the brake-blocks to be applied.

The weight is chiefly to prevent the appli- `cation of the brake-blocks in slackening the traces or passing over triiiing inequalities of the road-bed. I also use a cross beam or arm, Z, riveted at its center to one branch of said endless strap, (the one which recedes in locking,) so that said branch will carry this arm back with it. rEhe respective ends of said arm (which is like a small single-tree) are conA nected, on opposite sides of the tongue Qs, to theinner ends of the respective ordinary single-trees R. rIhe effect is to draw the ends of said single -trees backward with it (as the traces are slackened) when the brakes come into action; but when the horses draw upon the traces the single trees are restored to their proper position. rlhe arm Z is also drawn forward again, as well as the sliding plate on lug h, by the action of the aforesaid strap and pulleys. But when it is desirable to hack the vehicle without locking the wheels, I have a hinged stop, E, on the front casing, which can be turned forward against the yoke G, so that it prevents its action on the lug beneath, and relieves the strap.

For ordinary road-vehicles I show a ring, I, with breast chains or straps J', which may be used and operate in like manner as the yoke of a carriage-harness.

The tongue, when hinged, is prevented from dropping when the horses are disengaged by its connection with two branch straps, L.

Brake-bar U, slightly modified, can be ap plied to the front wheels of single-horse vehi cles. Keepers V are then attached to the shaft, as shown in Fig. 3, and straps D are at4 tached to the cranks forme-d in the bent brake= bar U. Each strap D passes round a pulley, under the shaft, and thence, through a ring on the breech-band, back to the sin gie-tree on each side.

What I claim is- 1. In combination with an endless strap or chain, L, the rear pulley under the vehicle, and the front pulley lin the cap or slotted case F on the end ot the tongue Q, said ca-p being provided with a hinged lock-piece or stay, E, as and for the purposes speciiied.

'3. In combination with the Weighted lever and brake U P O', the branch straps L, con"- nected with the foot-lever B, for operating the brake independently from the Vehicle, as herein described.

oHAs. J. WALSER.

Witnesses W. B. WILEY, JACOB STAUFFER. 

